Hanoi (VNA) – The Hanoi Union of FriendshipOrganisations (HUFO) has proven its role in enhancing friendship andsolidarity, and expanding multi-faceted cooperation between the capital cityand other major cities worldwide.

People-to-people exchanges have contributed to building a peaceful and stableenvironment, thus promoting the image of Vietnam in general and Hanoi inparticular in the eyes of international friends.

Being aware of its position as the national centre of politics, economy andculture, and the gateway of international exchanges, Hanoi has paid specialattention to external affairs, especially people-to-people exchanges.

Tran Thi Phuong, Vice President of the HUFO, said the union has maintainedfriendship and cooperation with foreign diplomatic offices in Vietnam, and performedits core role in peace and friendship activities.

She further said the HUFO has coordinated with relevant municipal departments,agencies and localities, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO)and international organisations in the communications work, helping to boostand expand Hanoi’s foreign relations.

Hanoi has used the occasions of major holidays as well as big internationalevents which it hosts to promote the culture, land and people of Vietnam andthe city, while introducing its cooperation potential to international friends,Phuong added.

The HUFO has organised annual New Year tours named “Du xuan huu nghi” tocultural and historical relic sites and craft villages with the participationof representatives of foreign diplomatic corps and international organisations. 

Such activities have helped foreigners understand more about the culture andland of Hanoi that has been recognised by UNESCO as a “City of Peace”, whileintensifying solidarity and mutual understanding between Vietnamese andinternational friends, Phuong said.

Apart from annual events in celebration of National Days of countries and diplomaticties between Vietnam and foreign nations, the HUFO has launched new activities,including exhibitions, workshops, book fairs, and contests to seek ambassadorsfor peace.

The union is continuing its efforts to implement people-people diplomacy and raisepublic awareness of the work, practically and effectively contributing tospurring the city’s construction and development, and advancing its position inthe new period, Phuong said.

65 years since its liberation, Hanoi has affirmed its role as the nationalcentre of politics, economy, society and science, and is integratingintensively into the world.

The city has worked hard to build a safe, friendly and attractive environment,becoming a trustworthy destination for both domestic and international friends,she noted.

Hanoi welcomed more than 4.7 million foreigntourists in the first nine months of 2019, a year-on-year increase of 10.1percent, announced the municipal Department of Tourism.

The capital city hosted a total of 21.5 million visitors in the period, up 9.5percent against the same period last year and making up 74.46 percent of thisyear’s target. This included more than 16.8 million domestic holidaymakers, up9.3 percent year-on-year.

This year, Hanoi was again listed on varioustourism rankings. Japan’s All Nippon Airways included the city among the 26best Asian cities for a combination of business and leisure. The capital citywas ranked fourth among the 25 destinations in Asia and 15th among the 25destinations in the world in 2019 by TripAdvisor. Most recently, it was named onthe Cable News Network (CNN)'s list of the 17 best places in Asia.

The city is striving to welcome 29 milliontourists and earn 103 trillion VND (4.44 billion USD) in tourism revenue in2019.

In the list of the top 100 city destinations2018 released by Euromonitor International, Hanoi ranked fourth among capital cities inSoutheast Asia in terms of foreign tourist numbers, following Bangkok (23.69 million),Singapore (18.55 million) and Kuala Lumpur (13.43 million).

Coordination between airlines, the domestic andforeign media, embassies, international organisations and travel companies willbe strengthened to hold trips for businesses and reporters from key markets,according to the municipal Tourism Department./.